Russia has completed a pull-out of tanks and armoured vehicles from Moldova's breakaway Transdniestr region.

The withdrawal of military hardware was part of a 1999 agreement brokered by the European security organisation, the OSCE.

OSCE observers said thousands of firearms stored in depots near the town of Rybnitsa would be withdrawn by the end of the year in accordance with the agreement.

The status of Transdniestr has been undefined since it declared independence from Moldova.

Russian peacekeeping troops have been stationed there since 1992. The situation will be discussed later this week when the Moldovan president, Vladimir Voronin, visits Moscow to sign a Russian-Moldovan Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service